21st Century Children: Language, Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum
with Sue Palmer
Thursday, 14th June 2012 – Central London
If we are to raise standards in literacy, our teaching must be based on firm foundations. At present, many children (especially boys) fall at the first fence in literacy learning, and spend their school careers on catch-up programmes which, sadly, do not seem to work.
In the Foundations of Literacy project (FoL), literacy specialist Sue Palmer has worked with early years experts, speech therapists, educational psychologists and teachers around the UK and Europe, to find the best possible foundation for literacy learning in the early years. FoL is consistent with DfES guidance, including phonics as outlined in the Rose Report, but provides much more structured approach to the development of speaking and listening skills and the physical skills which underpin handwriting.
Sue Palmer is well known to teachers around the UK through her popular inservice courses. She has written hundreds of books and articles on aspects of literacy and contributed to many National Literacy Strategy training packages. Sue also writes regularly in the educational press and acts as a literacy consultant to the DfES and the BBC.
Who should attend?
- Primary headteachers, senior management and literacy coordinators
- Early years practitioners and managers
- Local authority early years/literacy/primary advisers
Course Outline
The Foundations of Literacy approach involves seven strands of practice:
- Learning to listen ��� the systematic development of listening and attentional skills
- Time to talk ��� the huge importance of children’s spoken language, including ways of compensating for language delay
- Music, movement and memory ��� the key part played by music in underpinning the development of language, literacy and learning in general
- Storytime ��� using children’s fiction and storytelling techniques to prepare children for reading and writing
- Learning about print ��� developing concepts of print through a range of activities, but especially role-play and emergent reading and writing
- Tuning into sound ��� the great significance of phonics, and recent developments in phonics teaching
- Moving into writing ��� preparation for handwriting through movement, music, and drama.
The course will also include consideration of
- the gender gap, and provision for boys’ (and girls’) learning in early years
- how schools can move towards a Foundations of Literacy approach
- resources and materials available to support practitioners.
The course fee includes a copy of the book, Foundations of Literacy, worth �17.95
Fee:
The fee for the course is £250 plus VAT (Total £300) per delegate. The fee includes all refreshments, lunch, and course documentation. Discounts for multiple bookings are available. Please telephone or fax the organisers for details.